Motor vehicles driven by an electric motor are increasingly being developed and manufactured by the automotive industry. The electrical power for operating the electric motor for driving the electric vehicle is obtained from a battery situated in the electric vehicle. The battery is charged on an electrical power grid while the electric vehicle is parked. The electric vehicle has a battery charger for this purpose. The capacity for storing electrical power in the battery is limited here, so that only cruising ranges of approximately 50 kilometers to 200 kilometers are reachable by the electric vehicle.
To increase the cruising range of an electric vehicle, it is often equipped with a so-called range extender. This is an internal combustion engine generator unit. For longer driving distances of an electric vehicle, during which the battery cannot be charged adequately or at all from a power grid, the battery is charged with the aid of the internal combustion engine generator unit and/or electrical power is supplied to the electric motor with the aid of the internal combustion engine generator unit. The possible cruising range of such an electric vehicle having a range extender may therefore be increased to distances of approximately 600 kilometers, corresponding to a cruising range of traditional motor vehicles driven exclusively by an internal combustion engine.
However, the goal is to utilize the internal combustion engine as little as possible to thereby minimize fuel consumption. It may absolutely happen that the internal combustion engine is not used for several months or is turned on only sporadically. During this period of time, the fuel in the tank will outgas and undergo aging. Aging of fuel has effects on the combustion performance of the internal combustion engine. Problems may therefore occur in particular when starting the internal combustion engine and misfiring may occur during operation.